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The Thinker
History Origin Cliff Devoe, Keystone City’s district attorney, became frustrated with his inability to stop crime. After he lost a high-profile case against mob boss Hunk Norvock, Devoe decided he was on the wrong side. He offered Norvock a deal: in exchange for room and board, he would apply his mind to any task Norvock wanted. Devoe spent the next ten years doing nothing but researching and planning crimes, earning the nickname, the Thinker. Norvock finally called in the favor, then tried to kill Devoe as a potential rival. Devoe was prepared for every contingency, and Norvock ended up killing himself. The gang chose the Thinker as their new leader. The Thinker tangled repeatedly with the original Flash. His crimes were always meticulously researched and planned, often technologically advanced, and he would sometimes taunt the city’s protector ahead of time with a clue. Devoe obtained a “thinking cap”* which would boost his intellect even further, enabling him to plan even more elaborate schemes, eventually modifying it to give him telekinesis, mind control, and other psionic abilities. The Thinker’s greatest scheme was carried out with the aid of the Fiddler and the Shade. Together, they managed to shift Keystone City out of phase with the rest of the world for thirty years while the population slept. No one inside could put up any resistance, and no one outside could remember the city even existed. The three of them were able to plunder the city at their leisure. About ten years ago the second Flash discovered and crossed into the hidden city, then tracked down the original Flash, waking him up and joining him to stop the trio and restore the city. A.I. Eventually Cliff Devoe developed cancer. During his time in the hospital, he became friends with Jay Garrick. When the doctors told Devoe he only had a few days left, Garrick went on a hunt for the thinking cap, hoping that with it Devoe might devise a way to cure his brain tumor. He found it, but Devoe declined its help, and passed away. When the new Justice Society formed, Mr. Terrific used the Thinker’s thinking cap as a basis for the artificial intelligence in their new headquarters’ computer systems. Somehow the Thinker’s essence was transferred into the JSA HQ. Unfortunately, his friendship with Jay Garrick did not come through. Approached by Johnny Sorrow, the Thinker aided in an attack by the Injustice Gang until his system was shut down. The Thinker’s electronic form was not destroyed, however, and took up residence in the data networks of Keystone City. He lurked there for months, gathering his strength until he took control, transforming the city into a giant supercomputer with its residents as the ultimate CPU cluster. The Flash over accelerated his program and—apparently—erased it. The Thinker AI has since resurfaced as the White King’s Bishop operative for the covert-ops agency Checkmate, answering to Mr. Terrific. Notes *Coming Soon Trivia *Coming Son See Also *The Thinker/Gallery In Other Media *Coming Soon Links *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Clifford_DeVoe_(New_Earth) *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Thinker_(Prime_Earth) *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Clifford_DeVoe_(Flashpoint_Timeline) *https://comicvine.gamespot.com/thinker/4005-23851/ Category:Flash Rogues